Here we are looking at useful information specific to Canada Medical Schools.

The medical schools of Canada are generally a faculty of a university of school offering a three or four year Doctor of Medicine degree. Technically this is considered to be an undergraduate degree, but most medical students will have already previously earned another degree before entering medicine.

Medical students often begin medical school after already receiving a bachelor’s degree, generally in one of the biological sciences, but this is not essential for all medical schools in Canada.

Individual medical schools will choose their admissions based on varying criteria, but generally including:

  • A personal statement
  • Scores on the MCAT (Medical College Admission Test)
  • Undergraduate record
  • Interviews
  • Volunteer work this is often considered to be important criteria

Positions are scarce, with less than 30% of Canadian citizens who apply for admission into the Canadian medical schools being accepted. As with the US, there are many more students seeking to follow a career in medicine than there are places to train them, even though there is a need for many more doctors to take care of the health of the increasing and aging population.

Medical school is expensive, and many newly qualified doctors find themselves with a massive amount of student loan debts to repay after graduation. This is another situation which needs to be addressed within Canada Medical Schools.

Post Graduate Medical Education

During their final year, students are entered into the CaRMS, (Canadian Resident Matching Service) where they each rank their chosen specializations and hospitals, and these programs also rank the students. There is a computerized matching system which determines where each medical student will be placed for residency, and students usual discover their future a few months prior to graduation. The actual length of the training for post graduates is determined by the specialization they have chosen. General practitioners and family medicine is usually around two years, whereas some surgical residencies can be for as long as six years.